hdhale:Foxes are crafty, sneaky in the real world and in ancient and modern lore.

Satan is crafty, sneaky in the Bible and some would say in the real world.

Author draws obvious parallels.

Why is this even an article?

Welcome to Fark?

TrainingWheelsNeeded:roc6783: I feel bad for having clicked and read any of that garbage. That being said, when my daughter was born, i told my wife that she will not even know Dora is a thing until she starts interacting with other kids. 6+ months on and I am still winning that battle.

//Still have a sneaking suspicion that my wife is better at picking battles than I am though.

you will lose. you will soon be able moving to the rhythm of a little song with only three words, "I'm The Map!

I doubt it as my wife seems to dislike it as much as I do, but I am sure there is some other horrifyingly stupid kids things she will love that I will hate.

I want it to be satire, but let's face it, this is how religion came about in the first place: Overthinking crap until an intricate series of utterly fabricated explanations start to sound more and more plausible as each mental construct reinforces the next in an enless series of "So if X, then Y must be so, and if Y must be so, then..." statements.

And that's how you end up with the devil in Dora. Which also sounds like a great name for a modernized classic porno.

Generally, I don't think the author was taking himself too seriously. He gets to the role of fox imagery in asian religions later in the article and does a simple comparison.

I'm reminded of the conversation between Enoch Root and Randy Waterhouse in Cryptonomicon where Enoch is laying out the difference between Mars and Minerva as representations of human behavior and how all "gods" have analogs in different cultures because they are based on universal aspects of humanity and nature. I'd guess that anywhere an agrarian culture resides within fox habitat, foxes would be perceived negatively as cunning thieves because they can and do prey upon small domesticated animals (poultries, rabbits, etc) in spite of the best efforts to prevent it. They're ability to overcome obstacles that humans put in their way may be viewed as supernatural.

If you have Amazon Prime, you have to watch The Magic Stick episode. The first 3 minutes or so are worthless, but then Dora and Boots find a "magic stick" that they have to tug mightily on to remove from a rock. When they succeed, they are bathed in a white, sparkling light from above. Animals appear and celebrate as both Dora and Boots cling to the stick, and generally fawn over it (it's worth noting that Boots chooses to carry the stick through the entire journey, rather than put the stick safely in Backpack, which is what they generally will do with valuable objects). But wait! The Magic Stick must be allowed to "do it's trick", which can only be accomplished from the "highest hill".

Things proceed normally for another 12-15 minutes, though The Magic Stick proves useful in solving almost any problem for the duo. Finally we reach the end (climax?), where both Dora and Boots insert The Magic Stick into the Highest Hill, which is completely barren. But nothing happens! No, a chant must be recited: at which point the white sparkles again erupt from the top of The Magic Stick, and the Highest Hill is covered in rich greenery and flowers in their wake. Finally, The Magic Stick rises into the air; Dora and Boots grab on, and The Magic Stick flies them around the land. They embrace when they land, so joyous are they, and Dora celebrates by putting one of the flowers created by The Magic Stick in her hair.

TrainingWheelsNeeded:roc6783: I feel bad for having clicked and read any of that garbage. That being said, when my daughter was born, i told my wife that she will not even know Dora is a thing until she starts interacting with other kids. 6+ months on and I am still winning that battle.

//Still have a sneaking suspicion that my wife is better at picking battles than I am though.

you will lose. you will soon be able moving to the rhythm of a little song with only three words, "I'm The Map!

Not necessarily. My daughter's nearly 3 and could care less about Dora. We followed the no TV until 2 rule.

roc6783:I feel bad for having clicked and read any of that garbage. That being said, when my daughter was born, i told my wife that she will not even know Dora is a thing until she starts interacting with other kids. 6+ months on and I am still winning that battle.

//Still have a sneaking suspicion that my wife is better at picking battles than I am though.

Here's the thing: As far as kid's shows go, Dora is like middle of the road annoying. It's repetitiveness makes it easy to tune out.

Wait until you're exposed to the likes of Max and Ruby or Caillou, though.*shudder*

So what you're telling me, is that religion and children's shows have comparable levels of simplicity in their imagery?

Go f*cking figure.

Additionally, three is a pretty magic number in regards to psychologically cementing a concept into a brain with repetition, even for adults. This is quite possibly in the top five dumbest, yet well written, things I've ever read.

roc6783:I feel bad for having clicked and read any of that garbage. That being said, when my daughter was born, i told my wife that she will not even know Dora is a thing until she starts interacting with other kids. 6+ months on and I am still winning that battle.

//Still have a sneaking suspicion that my wife is better at picking battles than I am though.

I lasted most of 2 years. I even watched the NEWS in the morning while getting ready for work. Now he's 3 and I have lost the battle and the war. I haven't gotten my morning news and traffic anywhere but AM radio in the car in months. We were reading a book about zoos last night at bedtime and this was his narrative:

To me, a professor and scholar of the history of Christianity, I saw this problem-solving strategy of dealing with Swiper within a larger, historical contest. He is an archetypal image of the diabolical fox-spirit in the history of religions. The words to ward him off are similar in pattern to spells or exorcistic formulae used to ward off evil spirits throughout history. And not only may children be learning how best to deal with the demonic, but they're doing so in a very sophisticated way. For Dora does not completely cast out her demon, but rather allows for its redemption.

jayhawk88:roc6783: I feel bad for having clicked and read any of that garbage. That being said, when my daughter was born, i told my wife that she will not even know Dora is a thing until she starts interacting with other kids. 6+ months on and I am still winning that battle.

//Still have a sneaking suspicion that my wife is better at picking battles than I am though.

Here's the thing: As far as kid's shows go, Dora is like middle of the road annoying. It's repetitiveness makes it easy to tune out.

Wait until you're exposed to the likes of Max and Ruby or Caillou, though.*shudder*

It's animated and the characters are the children of the original puppets. I don't much remember Mr Rodgers but it teaches little life lessons for2-4 y/os. Patience, taking turns, being helpful that sort of thing. It even helped with the potty training.

Bleeding Christ.Another article written by somebody who thinks they're smarter than they are, pointing out half-assed, tenuous links to bad thing du jour from a simple children's show.Yes, yes. Now tell us how Spongebob and the Smurfs are evil tools to promote the gay agenda and make our kids desire sucking cock.

The theological position that even the Devil and his demons will be saved with the death and resurrection of Christ has gathered dust on the cutting-room floor of early Christian history. The otherwise celebrated Christian theologian Origen of Alexandria, who died in AD 254, held this position. For Origen, the mercy of God extended to all creation. Salvation for all, including the demonic, allows for a view of the world in which no beings should be excluded, thus being more tolerant of even the most extreme differences in the world. I wonder what our history might have looked like if the Western traditions had adopted the concept of the salvation of the Devil. It would certainly have been more difficult for these groups to justify the destruction of "evil doers" in its midst.

Through such portrayals, perhaps children might see that such "demonic" presences are not absolutely evil, but have a value and worth beyond simply being ostracized and counted as "other". We tend to use the power of words today to demonize rather than exorcise. If we could get children to treat all such "old enemies" with compassion and understanding, they might indeed understand one of the central tenants of the Christian tradition, unfortunately lost by the most "pious" among us: "Love thy enemy." Then, perhaps, we adults may all learn from our children to do the same to our foes, whether we conceive of them as demonic or not.

God's mercy extends to all?

CINO. Christian In Name Only. Christianity is only meaningful if most created sentience burns forever, as clearly described in the Bible.

My next door neighbor was really into the Pokemon trading cards. I never really liked them (played Magic myself), but he spent all his money on buying more and more cards. Now, his family was super religious, to the point where the mom home-schooled them to keep them away from the devil that was public school.

Anyway, he comes over one day with this box, and he's just bawling his eyes out. I asked him what's wrong and he says "My sister and I got in a big fight. She went on the internet and found this article proving that Pokemon were a creation by the devil to distract kids from God. My mom is making me give away all my cards!" I asked him what he wanted me to do and he just yells "get rid of them I don't care!" and throws the box down and runs home. Well I took the box, brought it down to the trading card store a few days later and ended up selling the lot for about $700 (this was back when those holo ones could go for $100 each). I was like 12-13 at the time so that was a shiat-ton of money.

Went to his house the next day and handed him $400 in cash and told him to go buy a Playstation 2. I took mine and bought an Xbox. He bought the sports/racing/non-violent games, and I took care of the gory, M-rated games. Worked out well for both of us.

/CSB

1) Awesome story. Too many on Fark would have kept the entire $700.2) Your name has that song stuck in my head, particularly the start (... that Fiona and me do it in my van every Sunday; she tells him she's in church but she doesn't go still she's on her knees...) because of the mention of church in the story.

I try to get my son into Phineas and Ferb, but he just isn't old enough yet to enjoy it I guess (he gets angry when it comes on because that signals the end of the Disney Jr. Block, and no more Jake or Mickey).

He does find the original Looney Tunes hilarious though...makes me proud.

/He would also sit down with me and watch Batman: The Animated Series reruns on The Hub